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Life Is What You Bake It: Recipes, Stories, and Inspiration to Bake Your Way to the Top: A Baking Book
The winner of The Great American Baking Show shares her story of personal growth and more than 100 delicious recipes.
"As much about a collection of recipes that makes your mouth water and tugs at your heart with food memories as it is about the chronicles and life lessons of a true comeback kid."--Carla Hall
Popular baking personality and lawyer turned baker Vallery Lomas was ecstatic when she learned she won the third season of The Great American Baking Show. However, her win was never seen by the world--Vallery's season was pulled after just a few episodes when one of the judges became a focal point in a Me Too accusation. Rather than throwing in her whisk and lamenting all of the missed opportunities she hoped to receive (Book deal! Product endorsements! TV show!), she held her head high and hustled--which resulted in her getting press coverage everywhere from CNN to People magazine.
Now, Vallery debuts her first baking book. With 100 recipes for everything from Apple Cider Fritters to Lemon-Honey Madeleines and Crawfish Hand Pies to her Grandma's Million Dollar Cake. Vallery shares heirloom family recipes from her native Louisiana, time spent in Paris, The Great American Baking Show, and of course sweets and breads inspired by her adopted hometown, New York City. Vallery's "when life gives you lemons, make lemon curd" philosophy will empower legions of bakers and fans to find their inner warrior and bake their best life.
"Life Is What You Bake It is not only a collection of recipes but also an empowering book that shows us there's often more possible than we can even imagine."--Julia Turshen, bestselling author of Simply Julia, host of Keep Calm and Cook On podcast, and founder of Equity at the Table
"As much about a collection of recipes that makes your mouth water and tugs at your heart with food memories as it is about the chronicles and life lessons of a true comeback kid."--Carla Hall
Popular baking personality and lawyer turned baker Vallery Lomas was ecstatic when she learned she won the third season of The Great American Baking Show. However, her win was never seen by the world--Vallery's season was pulled after just a few episodes when one of the judges became a focal point in a Me Too accusation. Rather than throwing in her whisk and lamenting all of the missed opportunities she hoped to receive (Book deal! Product endorsements! TV show!), she held her head high and hustled--which resulted in her getting press coverage everywhere from CNN to People magazine.
Now, Vallery debuts her first baking book. With 100 recipes for everything from Apple Cider Fritters to Lemon-Honey Madeleines and Crawfish Hand Pies to her Grandma's Million Dollar Cake. Vallery shares heirloom family recipes from her native Louisiana, time spent in Paris, The Great American Baking Show, and of course sweets and breads inspired by her adopted hometown, New York City. Vallery's "when life gives you lemons, make lemon curd" philosophy will empower legions of bakers and fans to find their inner warrior and bake their best life.
"Life Is What You Bake It is not only a collection of recipes but also an empowering book that shows us there's often more possible than we can even imagine."--Julia Turshen, bestselling author of Simply Julia, host of Keep Calm and Cook On podcast, and founder of Equity at the Table
288 pages, Hardcover
Published September 7, 2021
77 people are currently reading
483 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews
August 31, 2021
Vallery Lomas had a burgeoning career as an attorney, but felt herself drawn to cooking and baking. She started an Instagram account to showcase her food and attempted to balance her time between the law and a macaron baking business. When she was approached via Instagram to appear on The Great American Baking Show , a spin-off of the beloved The Great British Bake Off , Vallery couldn't turn them down.
She became the first Black winner and was nearly bursting trying to keep the secret until the show could air. After two episodes, the show was pulled from the schedule due to accusations of sexual impropriety from host Johnny Iuzzini's past. Unfortunately for Vallery, the remaining four episodes were never shown on the air and she didn't get the benefits of the publicity that other winners had received.
In this gorgeously written book, Vallery shares about her experiences, her family, the origins of her cooking and baking, and the development of those skills. She shares a wealth of recipes and easy step-by-step instructions for achieving that "perfect bake" every time.
There are over 100 recipes including biscuits, coffee cake, crepes, macarons, cookies, brownies, cobblers, pies, tarts, cakes, breads, and doughnuts. She showcases some basics and some "showstoppers" such as the crepe cake and her Tiger Doughnuts (orange and chocolate) that received the coveted "Hollywood Handshake" on the baking show. There is literally something for every expertise of baker and it can help beginners to gain more confidence in their ability to create beautiful and delicious baked goods.
I immediately pre-purchased my own copy to have on my shelf, and I encourage everyone to do so as well. This would make a perfect wedding shower, wedding, or housewarming gift, or an "anytime" gift for someone in your life who enjoys baking (or eating).
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book, all opinons are my own.
She became the first Black winner and was nearly bursting trying to keep the secret until the show could air. After two episodes, the show was pulled from the schedule due to accusations of sexual impropriety from host Johnny Iuzzini's past. Unfortunately for Vallery, the remaining four episodes were never shown on the air and she didn't get the benefits of the publicity that other winners had received.
In this gorgeously written book, Vallery shares about her experiences, her family, the origins of her cooking and baking, and the development of those skills. She shares a wealth of recipes and easy step-by-step instructions for achieving that "perfect bake" every time.
There are over 100 recipes including biscuits, coffee cake, crepes, macarons, cookies, brownies, cobblers, pies, tarts, cakes, breads, and doughnuts. She showcases some basics and some "showstoppers" such as the crepe cake and her Tiger Doughnuts (orange and chocolate) that received the coveted "Hollywood Handshake" on the baking show. There is literally something for every expertise of baker and it can help beginners to gain more confidence in their ability to create beautiful and delicious baked goods.
I immediately pre-purchased my own copy to have on my shelf, and I encourage everyone to do so as well. This would make a perfect wedding shower, wedding, or housewarming gift, or an "anytime" gift for someone in your life who enjoys baking (or eating).
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book, all opinons are my own.
December 2, 2022
Life is What You Bake It: Recipes, Stories & Inspiration to Bake Your Way to the Top is the journey of Vallery Lomas, the first Black woman to win The Great American Baking Show. She shares her adventure of going from being a lawyer, working in a field she did not enjoy, to finding her life's passion as a baker. She also shares stories of the lives of her family and their influences on her baking.
Vallery and I have a lot in common, and I think that's one of the things I enjoyed so much about her book. Like me, Vallery had one grandmother from the country and one from the city, and her baking reflects these two diverse cultural influences. Like me, Vallery is driven to add that little extra something to each bake to surprise and amaze her audience. Like me, Vallery loves France and delights in trying her own takes on French baking.
So, now, the important question...What recipes are calling out to me? Here are the recipes I plan to try first...
Accordian Biscuits...
I am always in search of the best biscuit recipe, and this one, with its layers, looks promising.
Cornmeal Pancakes...
I'm intrigued with the idea of using cornmeal in pancakes.
French Toast...
Olive Oil-Chunk Chocolate Cookies...
Another bucket list dream of mine is to make the perfect chocolate chip cookie.
Picnic Peach Cobbler...
I've never made a cobbler. Maybe I've been waiting for this recipe with orange zest and brandy.
Lemon Surprise Tart...
What's the surprise? Candied ginger!
,/center>Old-School Dinner Rolls...
I pride myself on my amazing dinner roll recipe. But could this one be even better?
Hot Skillet Cornbread...
I've got a sure-fire cornbread recipe, too, but this one, with creamed corn? Got to try it!
There are a dozen more recipes---One-Bowl Blueberry Buckle, Cake Truffles, Lemon-Honey Madelines---that I also want to try.
Update: I did try the Hot Skillet Cornbread with creamed corn in it. What did I think? It stayed moist for several days, and it had a delicious taste.
I also made the Olive-Oil Chunk Chocolate Cookies. My brother-in-law said they were one of the best chocolate chip cookies he has ever eaten.
I will make more from this cookbook.
September 7, 2021
"Life Is What You Bake It: Recipes, Stories, and Inspiration to Bake Your Way to the Top: A Baking Book", from author Vallery Lomas, is a delightful and inspiring cookbook-memoir. A lawyer turned baker/blogger, Ms. Lomas' love of baking comes from her mother and grandmothers and her upbringing in Southern Louisiana. Later in her life, cooking influences would come from college years of law studies in Los Angeles and a semester abroad in Paris. After settling into a law practice in Manhattan, her blog, "Foodie in New York", and her Instagram account showcasing her baking led to a chance to compete on "The Great American Baking Show". Thrilled to win the competition, she was later devastated when her season of the show was not aired due to a behind-the-scenes scandal involving one of the judges. However, she didn't stay down for long, and through a series of social media moves and publicity breakthroughs, she made a comeback which she describes as similar to the "second rising of punched-down dough". Eventually, she discontinued her law practice to devote her time to the work of her heart--her baking. "Life Is What You Bake It" offers dozens of fabulous recipes and a bounty of insightful and helpful baking tips. Along with chapters such as "Morning Treats", "En France", "Cookies & Bars", "Cobblers, Pies, and Tarts", 'Cakes", "Bread", and "Doughnuts", you will find helpful hints such as "5 Bits of Baker's Wisdom", "A Baker's Pantry (and Fridge)", and "Some Tools to Get You Started". So far, I have tried three of the recipes--all scrumptious--and I definitely plan on trying more tempting dishes. "Dark Chocolate Sea Salt Brownies"--perfect with a cup of good hot coffee or an icy cold glass of milk. "Bourbon Pecan Pie"--so good that no words are needed. "Granny's Million Dollar Cake"--couldn't resist--my own Granny was a wonderful intuitive baker and cook who brought me into her kitchen at a very young age. "Life Is What You Bake It" is a reminder to all to be true to yourself, know your own strengths, and to never give up on your dreams.
Disclosure: "I've received a free copy from Clarkson Potter in exchange for a free and unbiased review."
Disclosure: "I've received a free copy from Clarkson Potter in exchange for a free and unbiased review."
January 4, 2022
I love this cookbook!! I’m not a huge baker but this has definitely inspired me to get out my mixer more often.
September 9, 2021
Vallery Lomas may not be a household name, but she should be. She won The Great American Baking Show. She traveled to England and baked it out in the iconic tent. She got a Paul Hollywood handshake, won Star Baker during Bread Week, and no one got to see her struggle to win the season. Lomas was on the show the season that the #MeToo movement hit the professional kitchens, and one of the judges of her season came under scrutiny for his treatment of female employees. The show premiered, airing the first two shows back to back, and then got swept under the rug. But she’s back with her own cookbook, to tell her story and show off her amazing bakes.
Lomas grew up in Louisiana, learning to bake from her grandmothers. She went to law school and practiced in New York, but she spent time in Paris when she could, learning about French pastries. She started her food blog, and then her Instagram account, and that’s when casting directors came calling. But even after her triumph and tragedy with The Great American Baking Show, Lomas refused to give up on her dreams of baking. So she went back to the kitchen, turned on her oven, and kept finding new inspiration for her recipes.
Life Is What You Bake It is her first cookbook, and it is filled with inventive recipes, family favorites, lots of gorgeous photography, and inspiring personal stories of growing up, law school, traveling, and baking. There is her Accordion Biscuits, based on the recipe that her great-grandmother would bake for her father and the rest of her grandsons, and they would eat them and eat more of them and eat even more, covered in the homemade preserves made with the fruit her father had gathered from their orchard.
There is her Lemon Chiffon Cake, which her boss tasted and then dreamed she was a contestant on The Great British Bake Off. When she’d made it for him for his birthday, she’d auditioned for the American version of the show but hadn’t heard if she made it on. And she hadn’t yet told anyone anything about it. There is a recipe for her Vanilla Gamache Macarons, from when she was a young lawyer in Manhattan with a weekend business baking and selling macarons.
There is the Candied Sweet Potato Pie, based on her mother’s recipe, because every good Southern family has that one person with the iconic sweet potato pie. And the Dark Chocolate Sea Salt Brownies based on the recipe she made with a friend of hers in Italy when they were homesick for the States and those box brownie mixes. They didn’t have a mix. They didn’t have much more than one pot and a fork, but they managed to create a fudgy brownie that made them feel like home was close by.
And there are the recipes from her time on the show. The German Chocolate Sandwich Cookies that Paul Hollywood loved and the Gingerbread Cookie recipe that she used to build her Manhattan brownstone, that came crashing down just as time was called in the challenge. Luckily the judges loved the flavor, and she continued to bake. But her experience being surrounded by cameras as her gingerbread house came buckling down was something she’d never forget. And there is the recipe for Beignet Fingers, from the time she appeared on The Chew to make beignets. It was her first time doing a live cooking segment for a major television show, and she was nervous, but she got out there and had a lot of fun. I mean, how could you not, with Carla Hall and Clinton Kelly right there with you?
With these dozens of recipes, Lomas also includes pro tips for things every aspiring baker needs to know. There are articles on things like knowing which pie crust to use, how to fry a doughnut, how to troubleshoot problems with your cookies, how to get the most from a fresh vanilla bean. She even includes a scannable code that you can use to go directly to her video tutorials on topics like piping macarons, making meringue, or determining gluten development in your breads.
Frankly, there are a lot of things to like about this cookbook. Lomas takes the time to explain her techniques, talking about all the recipe testing that went into these ideas. The photographs are stunning (note to self: don’t read then when you’re hungry!). The insider stories of The Great American Baking Show were lots of fun to read. But my favorite thing about this cookbook is her personal stories about her family, about her travels, about her struggles with the bar exam. It’s when she talks about her memories, her inspiration, her setbacks, and her triumphs that I feel most connected to these recipes and to the desire to express myself through baking. Her stories are powerful, and I think that’s what draws people to her, the openness she displays. I’m just so sorry that one person’s misdeeds means that we don’t get to see her triumph in the tent, because I think that would be as inspiring as this cookbook.
A copy of Life Is What You Bake It was provided by Clarkson Potter through their Ambassador program for a free and unbiased review, with many thanks.
Lomas grew up in Louisiana, learning to bake from her grandmothers. She went to law school and practiced in New York, but she spent time in Paris when she could, learning about French pastries. She started her food blog, and then her Instagram account, and that’s when casting directors came calling. But even after her triumph and tragedy with The Great American Baking Show, Lomas refused to give up on her dreams of baking. So she went back to the kitchen, turned on her oven, and kept finding new inspiration for her recipes.
Life Is What You Bake It is her first cookbook, and it is filled with inventive recipes, family favorites, lots of gorgeous photography, and inspiring personal stories of growing up, law school, traveling, and baking. There is her Accordion Biscuits, based on the recipe that her great-grandmother would bake for her father and the rest of her grandsons, and they would eat them and eat more of them and eat even more, covered in the homemade preserves made with the fruit her father had gathered from their orchard.
There is her Lemon Chiffon Cake, which her boss tasted and then dreamed she was a contestant on The Great British Bake Off. When she’d made it for him for his birthday, she’d auditioned for the American version of the show but hadn’t heard if she made it on. And she hadn’t yet told anyone anything about it. There is a recipe for her Vanilla Gamache Macarons, from when she was a young lawyer in Manhattan with a weekend business baking and selling macarons.
There is the Candied Sweet Potato Pie, based on her mother’s recipe, because every good Southern family has that one person with the iconic sweet potato pie. And the Dark Chocolate Sea Salt Brownies based on the recipe she made with a friend of hers in Italy when they were homesick for the States and those box brownie mixes. They didn’t have a mix. They didn’t have much more than one pot and a fork, but they managed to create a fudgy brownie that made them feel like home was close by.
And there are the recipes from her time on the show. The German Chocolate Sandwich Cookies that Paul Hollywood loved and the Gingerbread Cookie recipe that she used to build her Manhattan brownstone, that came crashing down just as time was called in the challenge. Luckily the judges loved the flavor, and she continued to bake. But her experience being surrounded by cameras as her gingerbread house came buckling down was something she’d never forget. And there is the recipe for Beignet Fingers, from the time she appeared on The Chew to make beignets. It was her first time doing a live cooking segment for a major television show, and she was nervous, but she got out there and had a lot of fun. I mean, how could you not, with Carla Hall and Clinton Kelly right there with you?
With these dozens of recipes, Lomas also includes pro tips for things every aspiring baker needs to know. There are articles on things like knowing which pie crust to use, how to fry a doughnut, how to troubleshoot problems with your cookies, how to get the most from a fresh vanilla bean. She even includes a scannable code that you can use to go directly to her video tutorials on topics like piping macarons, making meringue, or determining gluten development in your breads.
Frankly, there are a lot of things to like about this cookbook. Lomas takes the time to explain her techniques, talking about all the recipe testing that went into these ideas. The photographs are stunning (note to self: don’t read then when you’re hungry!). The insider stories of The Great American Baking Show were lots of fun to read. But my favorite thing about this cookbook is her personal stories about her family, about her travels, about her struggles with the bar exam. It’s when she talks about her memories, her inspiration, her setbacks, and her triumphs that I feel most connected to these recipes and to the desire to express myself through baking. Her stories are powerful, and I think that’s what draws people to her, the openness she displays. I’m just so sorry that one person’s misdeeds means that we don’t get to see her triumph in the tent, because I think that would be as inspiring as this cookbook.
A copy of Life Is What You Bake It was provided by Clarkson Potter through their Ambassador program for a free and unbiased review, with many thanks.
September 16, 2021
Who knew a cookbook could be a page-turner?! “Life is What You Bake It” is stunning! The book has bright, gorgeous photographs and lovely design, but Vallery Lomas’ voice throughout is the most beautiful element. Her story is heartfelt and personal, ranging from the very relatable (family memories) to the intriguing (life as a contestant and champion of The Great American Baking Show!).
I have sent this book to family and friends in their 20s, 90s, and in between, confident her story will resonate with all of them. Even my 5 year old daughter enjoyed it! As we looked through the book together, she read recipe titles and marveled at the photos of Lomas and her family and of each recipe, exclaiming “beautiful,” “yummy,” and “I want to eat that!” The deep family connections in Lomas’ stories and recipes were a good reminder to make memories of our own in the kitchen.
The instructions are clear, precise, and thoughtful, making excellent results very attainable for bakers of all skill levels. Lomas provides thorough guidance and does not leave you wondering how to tell if something is actually done or what you must have missed between steps three and four. The accompanying notes and tips are exactly what I want to know - storage, substitutes, and what I can make ahead.
I have tried the following recipes and each has been a huge hit. I would happily make any one of them again and look forward to trying more from the book:
- Dark Chocolate Sea Salt Brownies - incredibly fudgey and actually stays fudgey without drying out
- Bourbon Pecan Pie - everything you want a pecan pie to be
- Olive Oil Chocolate Chunk Cookies - perfect texture, a lovely take on my favorite cookie
- One-Bowl Blueberry Buckle - no-fuss crowd pleaser, perfect to pop in the oven before dinner to have a ready to serve dessert after
I don’t bake often, but this book has me very eager to try another of its recipes. What an enjoyable read and fantastic cookbook!
I have sent this book to family and friends in their 20s, 90s, and in between, confident her story will resonate with all of them. Even my 5 year old daughter enjoyed it! As we looked through the book together, she read recipe titles and marveled at the photos of Lomas and her family and of each recipe, exclaiming “beautiful,” “yummy,” and “I want to eat that!” The deep family connections in Lomas’ stories and recipes were a good reminder to make memories of our own in the kitchen.
The instructions are clear, precise, and thoughtful, making excellent results very attainable for bakers of all skill levels. Lomas provides thorough guidance and does not leave you wondering how to tell if something is actually done or what you must have missed between steps three and four. The accompanying notes and tips are exactly what I want to know - storage, substitutes, and what I can make ahead.
I have tried the following recipes and each has been a huge hit. I would happily make any one of them again and look forward to trying more from the book:
- Dark Chocolate Sea Salt Brownies - incredibly fudgey and actually stays fudgey without drying out
- Bourbon Pecan Pie - everything you want a pecan pie to be
- Olive Oil Chocolate Chunk Cookies - perfect texture, a lovely take on my favorite cookie
- One-Bowl Blueberry Buckle - no-fuss crowd pleaser, perfect to pop in the oven before dinner to have a ready to serve dessert after
I don’t bake often, but this book has me very eager to try another of its recipes. What an enjoyable read and fantastic cookbook!
September 21, 2021
If you love to bake, or even if you like to bake a few things, this is the cookbook for you! Life is What You Bake It: Recipes, stories & inspiration to bake your way to the top by Vallery Lomas is amazing. Full of fun recipes, gorgeous pictures, and Lomas’s personal stories, this one is hard to put down and will keep you coming back. I even had to fight my 16-year-old to get it back (after she marked 90 percent of the recipes)! When I got it back, I may have marked the rest of the recipes.
What I like about this book is that there are recipes that are on the easier side and recipes that pose a little more of a challenge, but none of them will seem inaccessible or scare off a novice baker: instead, they will excite them to spread their wings and try something a little different (Like the Olive Oil-Chocolate Chunk Cookies!). The only challenge is where to start! And the Cakes! And the Bread… oh my… just when I thought I should cut back on baked goods, it seems that I will be baking more.
On top of the recipes, is Lomas’s story. Another thing that, as fans of THE GREAT BRITISH BAKE-OFF, my daughter and I both enjoyed reading about her winning season 3 of THE GREAT AMERICAN BAKING SHOW, and how she was able to redirect her path when it was cancelled before the full season was shown and her winning bakes were shared. I love how she took adversity and, instead of letting it derail her, used it to drive her forward. This book is not only delicious, but inspiring, as well.
Thank you to Clarkson Potter for the gifted copy. All opinions are my own and freely given.
What I like about this book is that there are recipes that are on the easier side and recipes that pose a little more of a challenge, but none of them will seem inaccessible or scare off a novice baker: instead, they will excite them to spread their wings and try something a little different (Like the Olive Oil-Chocolate Chunk Cookies!). The only challenge is where to start! And the Cakes! And the Bread… oh my… just when I thought I should cut back on baked goods, it seems that I will be baking more.
On top of the recipes, is Lomas’s story. Another thing that, as fans of THE GREAT BRITISH BAKE-OFF, my daughter and I both enjoyed reading about her winning season 3 of THE GREAT AMERICAN BAKING SHOW, and how she was able to redirect her path when it was cancelled before the full season was shown and her winning bakes were shared. I love how she took adversity and, instead of letting it derail her, used it to drive her forward. This book is not only delicious, but inspiring, as well.
Thank you to Clarkson Potter for the gifted copy. All opinions are my own and freely given.
cooking-reference
February 25, 2022Dark Chocolate Sea Salt Brownies--YUM! E did not like because of coffee addition. The rest of us loved them. SO much sugar and chocolate and butter and eggs, who is surprised?
Olive Oil–Chocolate Chunk Cookies--delicious, but taste like chocolate chip cookies with salt on top. But an excellent recipe if low on butter.
Peach Crisp--used our frozen yard Tropic Snow peaches. This just did not quite work. (We ate it all.) I found the brandy overpowering, maybe the peaches have too much tart profile? Also frozen peaches have too much liquid, though I cooked much of it up separately with cornstarch as a topping.
Olive Oil–Chocolate Chunk Cookies--delicious, but taste like chocolate chip cookies with salt on top. But an excellent recipe if low on butter.
Peach Crisp--used our frozen yard Tropic Snow peaches. This just did not quite work. (We ate it all.) I found the brandy overpowering, maybe the peaches have too much tart profile? Also frozen peaches have too much liquid, though I cooked much of it up separately with cornstarch as a topping.
April 1, 2024
Great! A collection of recipes to satisfy the appetite and soul. The author is a lawyer turned professional baker. She was the winner of The Great American Baking Show and highlights some of the activities from the show. I enjoyed how she used baking analogies to explain the ups and downs of life. She includes early food influences from Louisiana to her study abroad in France. The book is part memoir and part cookbook baked together into a delicious dessert.
🍰Book Quotes:
"Sheet cakes don’t get enough love."
"I had a burning desire to do something different with my life."
"I had taken the lemons I was given and made something better than lemonade—I made lemon curd."
🍰Book Quotes:
"Sheet cakes don’t get enough love."
"I had a burning desire to do something different with my life."
"I had taken the lemons I was given and made something better than lemonade—I made lemon curd."
October 28, 2022
A great, spirited read about the joy of baking through the lens of a baking show winner.
The author takes you along on her journey, but doesn't bang on about it, and rather highlights at certain points if culinary choices in recipes are substitutions or innovations based on personal tastes or to introduce a certain wow factor.
This really puts this cookbook on the board for hitting the sweet spot between staple dishes and elaborate stunners - I really feel like the recipes in this are approachable and still formidable.
Definite recommendation.
The author takes you along on her journey, but doesn't bang on about it, and rather highlights at certain points if culinary choices in recipes are substitutions or innovations based on personal tastes or to introduce a certain wow factor.
This really puts this cookbook on the board for hitting the sweet spot between staple dishes and elaborate stunners - I really feel like the recipes in this are approachable and still formidable.
Definite recommendation.
September 9, 2021
It’s so simple and delicious. I decided to start by whipping up Saucepan Chocolate Cake and Creamy Caramel Frosting. So simple and fast. A new family favorite.
The recipes are easy to follow, the results are delicious, and all the pictures are so drool worthy, it is hard to choose which bit to bake. Hush puppies, beignets, and even English muffins are covered and I look forward to more family baking time in the kitchen.
Thank you Clarkson Potter for the free review copy. It’s been a real treat going through the recipes.
The recipes are easy to follow, the results are delicious, and all the pictures are so drool worthy, it is hard to choose which bit to bake. Hush puppies, beignets, and even English muffins are covered and I look forward to more family baking time in the kitchen.
Thank you Clarkson Potter for the free review copy. It’s been a real treat going through the recipes.
December 14, 2021
I love this book! Valerie’s anecdotes are warm and funny and she is so enthusiastic about baking it’s infectious. She is also knowledgeable and gives useful tips on how to bake better. The recipes were delicious and baked perfectly. I especially loved the olive oil cookies, cornmeal pancakes, dark chocolate sea salt brownies, and cinnamon rolls to name a few. I really hope someone buys this from my Amazon wishlist for Christmas this year but if they don’t I’m buying it for myself!
December 29, 2021
Love her recipes. I checked this book from the library without knowing she was the "unknown" winner of the first Great American Baking Show" and also the first Balck girl to win that franchise. It's so sad to hear that. But this book is a winner and will say the fair part of her struggle as a black girl in the USA and also as a established baker. Love this!
January 23, 2022
This is a great, inspirational book. The recipes are approachable and delicious. I appreciate her philosophy on store bought pie dough, and it’s great that she also explains the why behind certain step. For recipes, my favorite chapter is cakes. For biography and writing, tarts were better.
If you like to bake, this is a creative, warm book that you’ve got to check out.
If you like to bake, this is a creative, warm book that you’ve got to check out.
January 31, 2022
This is the Jan/Feb cookbook challenge book for the Rainy Day Cookbook Challenge. Love Vallery's stories... the recipes have been bit of "hit or miss". Follow to the tee and yet not quite the consistent results that I'd expect and get from other cookbooks. Ideas are certainly great and may just need some "tweeking" to make the recipes turn out successfully.
July 4, 2022
If you're looking for a solid Southern baking book with lots of context and how-to's, this is a great choice for you. Vallery's recipes cover many of the basics with a few fun twists. She also includes lots of stories and family history, and these sections are well-written and fun to read. I can see myself reaching for this book when I'm looking for a trustworthy recipe for a classic dessert.
Read
December 15, 2025If you're looking for a solid Southern baking book with lots of context and how-to's, this is a great choice for you. Vallery's recipes cover many of the basics with a few fun twists. She also includes lots of stories and family history, and these sections are well-written and fun to read. I can see myself reaching for this book when I'm looking for a trustworthy recipe for a classic dessert.
January 14, 2022
Do you like icing (aka. frosting)? If the answer is yes, you will love this book. Sadly, if your answer is no, like me, then you will not. Just reading and looking at the photographs made my teeth ache.
February 25, 2022
This cookbook is a quick read, full of family recipes and recipes that were influenced by where she lived and travelled. I can't wait to try her crawfish pie and beignet fingers with Mardi Gras around the corner. I like that she kept the recipes simple and interesting with her stories.
December 16, 2023
This is a great cookbook; the stories were a good touch. There are definitely a few recipes I want to try! I loved reading this one. This is probably one of my favorite cooking/baking books this year.
December 28, 2025
I only have a digital copy of this book and will need to order an actual hard copy. This book will be covered in flour when it makes it to my house. So many great tips on baking and the recipes look so delicious.
September 5, 2021
This cookbook reads like a memoir of a woman who overcame tremendous challenges on her road to success. I loved all the family lore and generational recipes- those biscuits!
September 10, 2021
There are some great-sounding recipes in here!
I have saved a number to try
I have saved a number to try
October 13, 2021
I made Granny's Million Dollar Cake, and I'm getting ready to share it with friends. Delish and easy to make!
November 12, 2021
Yum, yum, and more yum!!!!! I did not watch the show she won but I get why she won. There is nothing in this book I wouldn't bake or eat.
November 18, 2021
Lots of yummy recipes. I like that the author included lots of stories behind her recipes. It makes her book feel more personal.
February 6, 2022
Such a great uplifting story - and great recipes. Made chocolate cake last night 😋
May 16, 2022
Great recipes - easy instructions with common ingredients. Really wonderful sharing of many family recipes and family/author history.
June 22, 2022
I read this cover to cover. The photos are delicious. Her stories are delightful.
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